Clamp



April 6, 1948 KING ETAL 2,439,364

' l CLAMP I Filed March 12, 1947 INVENTORS. J OH N W. Kl N G BY JAM E54. MQNAMEE ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 6, 1948 UNITED 'STATES PATE-"NT AUFF-ICI?.

.CLAMP lohn'W; King and James J. MoNamee, Cleveland, 13h10, assgnors to Miles Park Machine 8.a Tool, "Ina, Cleveland,` Ohio, .a corporation lof Ohio 'Application-Marchl, 1947, .Serial No. 534,152

'2 Claims. `1

This invention relates to a clamp consisting of a bolt and an anchor member movably associated therewith .and capable of `being related to the bolt, to permitlthe bolt and anchor .member to be readily projected throughalined openings of two or more parts to be secured together and the latter positioned against the inner part to form an anchor, whereby the nut for the bolt or head thereof maybe turned to effect a .clamping of the parts.

While the clamp may be employed in various applicationswe have found vthat 4ata great saving of time and expense the clamp is especially adapted to the assembly and securing offenders `to the wheel housings or the bodies of automobiles and repairs to thelatter where the fenders have to be replaced, particularly where the body wall adjacent to the wheel housing or fender is so shaped that access thereto is difficult or impossible. In the assembly of .bodies and fenders it has been the practice, according to our knowledge, to weld on the inner side of the body a plurality of `nuts into which bolts could be screwed in assembling a fender therewith; and where a housing had to be repaired or the fender had to be replaced it was necessaryv to remove the upholstery, which, as experience has demonstrated, cannot be satisfactorily replaced.

One object of the invention is to provide .an improved clamp ofthe type referred to wherein the anchor member isf shaped to .accommodate the bolt with locked engagement With-either its head or a nut thereon, whereby the clamp adapts itself tovarious arrangements and shapes of the parts to be clamped.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide an improved clamp of this type wherein the anchor member is .shaped to permit it and the bolt to be projected through relatively small openings, to accommodatethe bolt with either its head or a nut thereon in locked engagement with the anchor member, prevent relative endwise movement between the bolt and anchor member while being positioned Vand holdthe bolt or nut during the clamping of parts together.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an improved clamp of Vthis type theparts of which when clamped to secure walls together exert pressure on one side oi'tthe nut to eiect a locking relation Vwith the bolt.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent l to those skilled in the art to which our invention relates from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein 2 Fig. 1 is ajra'gmentary sectional view of a vehicle body side walland wheel housing secured together .by a clamp embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the clamp -with 'the bolt shank and nut positioned in the anchor member. I

Fig. 2a is .a view similar to Fig. 2, but looking at the reverse side of the parts.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of lFig. 2 and showing the operation of projecting the part through alined openings of `walls to .be secured together. f

Fig. 4 isa view showing `the position of the parts after the walls `have been secured together; this viewbeing 'similar Ato Fig. 1, enlarged.

Eig. 5 is asection `on the line 5-5 of `Fig.'3.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a View similar to Fig. "2 but showing the boltreversed in the anchor member.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing the clampsecuring a wheel housing to the body wall where the latter is shaped to `prevent access thereto. A

Fig. 9` is a sectional view oi` parts Ashown in Fig. 8J enlarged.

Fig. 10 is a section on the jline `I 0-I 0 of Fig. 9.

In the drawing, I indicates a bolt,V 2. indicates an anchor member, 3 indicates. a washer and 4 indicates a nut, whichparta in assembled relation, may be projected through alined openings of Itwo or more walls andV the .nut Il or bolt I then rotated toelampthe walls together, .as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 8 and "9. The bolt shank Ia extends through openings in (the washer 3 and anchor member `2 and the nut '4' is screwed on the outer end portion of the shank I.a,so that all of the parts are related in advanceof .being positioned and clamped.

As will later `be. apparent and asshown in the drawing, the shank Ia maybe reversed in the projected through openings ofthe walls a, h, to

be clamped and lock the bolt or nut against turning duringclamplng of the walls. `The anhOI member 2 consists of a back wall 2a and 2a. between the side walls 2b to provide a seat 2a' for the bolt head lb or nut 4 during clamp- Y ing of the walls a, b, as later set forth. 6 indi-` cates a separate opening formed in the back 2 and having a width slightly greater than that of the head Ib and nut 4. The back 2a between the openings 5, 6, is transversely arcuately` embossed` outwardly, as shown at 1, that is, in the direction opposite to that in which the side walls 2b extend and that portion of the back 2a extending outwardly of the opening 5 is transversely arcuately embossed inwardly, as shown at 8; also, that portion of the back 2a extending outwardly from the opening 6 is embossed inwardly to form an abutment or stop 2a: lfor shank Ia and bolt head Ib or nut 4 and prevent relative endwise movement between the bolt I and anchor member 2 when these parts are being projected through openings preliminary to clamping the walls together.

As shown in Figs. 2, 2a and 3, the embossed walls 1, 8, spacedly engage diametrical sides of the bolt shank Ia, and the opening 5 accommodates the nut 4, to permit the bolt I and anchor member 2 tobe disposed in nested relation while being projected through alined openings, as shownin Fig. 3. After the anchor member 2 and adjacent portion of the bolt I have been projected through the alined openings of the walls a., b, the bolt I may be jiggled or slightly tapped, the eiect of which will cause the anchor member 2 to swing or rock on the bolt shank Ia and by moving the bolt I endwise outwardly the anchor member 2 will engage the wall a, with the nut 4 between'and engaging the side walls 2b and the seat 2a', so that the bolt I can be turned and eiect clamping of the walls a, b, as shown in Fig. 4.

, ment of the embossment 1, the latter engages the ,f washer 3 and that the end of the anchor member 2 on the remotejsidelof the bolt I engages the wall a, so that thel anchor member 2 is disposed in slightly non-parallel relation to the wall a; accordingly, when the bolt I and nut 4 are tightened, the anchor member 2tends to disaline or displace the'axial relation between the nut and bolt and thus effect 'a locking relation therebetweenand `lessen vor eliminate the danger of these -parts becoming loose.

Fig. 1 shows Athe side wall :c of a vehicle side wall and wheel housing and fender secured in rigid relation by a clamp constructed as above set forth. When found desirable, the end of the bolt I above the anchor member 2 may be cut oif.v Y

Fig. '7 shows the bolt I reversed in the anchor Amember 2, the bolt head Ib being seated in the opening 6 and when the bolt and nut are tightened the bolt I is held against turning due to the engagement of the head Ib with the side walls 2b (see Fig. 10). With the bolt I and anchor member 2 assembled as shown in Fig. 7, they maybe projected through the openings formed in the walls to be clamped similarly to that shown in Fig. 3 and then clamped as shown in Fig. 9.

'When the parts are assembled in this manner,

the nut 4 being accessible and the vbolt being held against turning, the clamp is adapted to meet various conditions, as where theopening in one wall lis inaccessible, as shown inFig. 8 lor in the l -repair and replacement of vehicle -bodies or fenders to avoid removal yof upholstery or interior xtures, surfacing material'andfthe like.

To those skilled in the art to which our invention relates many changes in construction and widelyl differing embodiments and applications thereof'will be apparent without departingfrom the scope of the invention. The descriptionand disclosures herein are purely illustrative' and not intended to be in any sense limiting.

What we claim is:

l. A clamp for clamping walls together consisting of a bolt having a head and a screw threaded shank, a nut on said shank, said head and nut being arranged to operate as abutment elements, a washer through which the shank extends and an anchor member shaped to provide a back and laterally extending side walls spaced to engage the opposite sides of either of said elements, the back being formed with an opening through which said shank loosely extends elongated longitudinally of the back and providing at its opposite sides a seat for either of said velements' and a separate transversely elongated opening extendingbetween said side walls, said back between said vopenings being transversely embossed arcuately inV a direction opposite to said side Walls and said back between the remote end of said elongated opening and the adjacent end of said back being transversely embossed arcuately in the direction of said side walls, said bolt and said anchor member being freely swingable one relative to the other to nest the bolt in said arcuate embossments with the adjacent abutment element in said separate opening when the shank and anchor member are to be projected through openings in the walls to be clamped.

' 2. A clamp as claimed in claim 1 wherein the back of said anchor member adjacent the outer 'side of said separate opening is embossed laterally Y in the direction of said side walls to provide a stop for the element in said opening.

JOHN W. KING. JAMES J. MCNAMEE REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

